Quartetto Gelato
Virtuosic showpieces, romantic tenor arias, gypsy pyrotechniques and a World Accordion Champion – this is Quartetto Gelato. Where music meets theatre and audiences are taken on an unforgettable musical journey!
For over a decade, this dazzling ensemble has enchanted audiences and critics worldwide with their exotic blend of musical virtuosity, artistic passion, and charismatic anecdotes. Classical in training – eclectic by design – Quartetto Gelato (QG) not only thrills its audiences with its multi-instrument mastery, but also offers the bonus of a brilliant operatic tenor. With a performance repertoire that travels the globe including classical masterworks, operatic arias, the sizzling energy of tangos, gypsy and folk songs, the group’s theatrical stage presence and relaxed humor establishes an intimate rapport with audiences worldwide.
QG established themselves as dominant forces on the music scene early in their career by winning the coveted title of NPR Performance Today’s Debut Artist of the Year. The selection panel concluding the quartet was “an amazing ensemble that achieves the nearly impossible: they play salon music with real style and classical music with real precision; Great chops and a commitment in all that they play.” In 2007, the group’s first DVD Quartetto Gelato: A Concert in Wine Country! was picked up by PBS throughout the U.S. for broadcast. Recent concerts have included performances with the Toronto and Quebec symphonies, as well as prestige engagements including the Toronto Luminato Arts Festival, the Calgary Moziac Festival, and the “4X4” Festival in Binghampton, NY.
QG is regularly heard on CBC, Classical 96.3 FM, NPR, PRI, and NUR networks. Their Concert in Wine Country DVD is seen regularly on PBS. Their seven CDs have sold over 150,000 units to date and they have been featured on the Hollywood soundtrack “Only You.”
Always active in the recording studio, the quartet has just recorded its seventh CD “Musica Latina” featuring music of Latin America. The public release is scheduled for the spring of 2009. Previously, QG released “Quartetto Gelato Travels the Orient Express” celebrating the original journey of the famous luxury train and featuring music from London to Istanbul. Since the release in spring of 2004, the recording has met with extensive critical and public acclaim. The previous recordings, which have played a significant role in the group’s increasing popularity, are “Neapolitan Café”, “Aria Fresca”, “Rustic Chivalry”, and their debut recording, simply entitled “Quartetto Gelato”. The latter two CDs have literally been heard around the world, since they accompanied Canadian astronaut, Dr. Robert Thirsk, during his NASA flight on board the space shuttle Columbia in 1997.
